What Happens in the Earth Kingdom
by avatarfan82
Summary: [Future] Katara looked at the mess in front of her. How had she ended up in this situation? A oneshot where Toph drinks too much and Katara's put in a questionable position.


**A/N: Hi! I have a little one shot here I wrote for a weekly challenge. Also, let us imagine that the characters are young adults. Okay, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.**

"Who do I have to beat up to get a drink around here?" Toph demanded waving her half-filled mug of beer in the air.

The contents of her glass sloshed all over the counter and the bartender's face went bright red with anger.

"Hey! You've already got one in your hand and it's getting all over my bar. What are ya, blind?!"

Toph turned her milky white eyes on the bristling man in front of her and jammed her finger in his face.

"Do I look like I can see? And what the hell kind of bartender talks to a customer like that?"

"Oh. I, uh..didn't realize you were actually, um..." he stammered and then trailed off.

Katara shook her head as she grabbed Toph's hand and lowered it from the man's face.

"I hate these stupid Earth Kingdom bars," Toph muttered.

"I apologize, sir." Katara reached for the drink in Toph's hand. "I think my friend has had enough."

As she attempted to yank it away, she lost her grip on the slippery glass. It tilted sharply to the right, dumping cold liquid into the lap of the man sitting next to her.

Katara gasped in horror as she turned toward the stranger.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, reaching for a napkin. She rubbed it furiously across his lap. This went on for several seconds until she heard Toph laughing uncontrollably behind her.

"Way to go, Sugar Queen! I say to hell with formalities."

Katara's face heated up as she dropped the napkin and looked down at the ground. What had she done? This was supposed to be a night out and here she was getting way too up close and personal. And with a complete stranger!

Katara looked at the mess in front of her. How had she ended up in this situation? She hadn't even wanted to come here. They had a lot to do tomorrow. Why couldn't Toph just be quiet and act truly blind for once? And, why hadn't she just bent the water out of his clothes like a normal person?

She finally met his gaze and was shocked to find him smiling. His green eyes twinkled and a dimple appeared on his cheek. His chiseled jawline provided a perfect frame for his full lips and narrow chin. Great. It figured he would be gorgeous. For a brief moment, she considered asking Toph to earthbend a hole into the ground she could disappear in. Instead, she smiled back at him and said,

"I didn't mean to spill that beer on you." She held up her hands. "And I swear I was just trying to help you clean up!"

"It's all right." His smile widened, revealing perfect teeth. "It's rare that I have a beautiful woman giving me a pat down before I know her name."

Katara's blush traveled from the roots of her hair to the sleeves of her dress. "Can I get you anything?" she asked him.

"I've been drinking water."

"See? You both like water. He's definitely a keeper," Toph slurred a little before slamming the counter with her fist. "Hey! Gimme another drink! My friend here used my other one so she could feel up this guy."

The man let out a deep chuckle as Katara dipped her head down. This was simply too much to bear. She had to escape.

"I'm so sorry. The next drink's on her," she said as she pointed her thumb in Toph's direction.

Before he could respond, she jumped off of her stool and disappeared into the bathroom. She stayed there replaying the scene. Saw the drink splash on his clothes. Smelled the sour odor of the beverage. Remembered how hard his thighs felt under the napkin. His clean, citrus scent. Katara cringed. What a thing to notice. After five minutes she finally had the courage to exit. To her relief, the stranger had disappeared.

"Made it back, huh? Don't worry, the hottie left already."

"How would you know what he looked like?"

"I may be blind, but I'm not stupid. Your heart rate started going crazy once you turned to him. So, either he was threatening to kill you or he was hot."

Katara lowered herself into her seat as she glared off to the side.

"Hurry up and finish your drink because we're leaving. This night has been a total waste of my time." She finally looked down at the counter in front of her, only to see a note with two names written on it. One looked like the name of a business.

"What's this?"

"Mr. Hotpants left that for you after you ran away like a scared little poodle monkey."

"I highly doubt you've seen a scared poodle monkey before," Katara said crossing her arms.

"I did tonight," Toph quipped, a devilish grin crossing her face.

Katara sighed.

"Anyway, he left his name and the name of the shop he owns. Apparently your little show turned him on and he wants to see you again."

Katara smiled to herself as she pictured his handsome face floating in her mind. Maybe she could find a moment to stop by and check out his store. She had some shopping to do anyway. It would also allow her to make up for the way she had just acted.

"I guess I could pick up some stuff tomorrow." Katara narrowed her eyes at Toph and added, "You're not coming with me."

"I'll drink to that," Toph said. Then she downed the last of her beer before setting her mug down. She sighed in contentment as she turned toward Katara. "Oh, and you're welcome. Now let's get outta here."

As the two stood to leave, Toph paused to get her bearings.

"By the way, in case you didn't notice I'm pretty drunk," she said and Katara put her hands on her hips impatiently.

"I know."

"Good. Just want to make sure we're on the same page."

Katara rolled her eyes and smiled while she helped her friend out the door. She might be a handful at times but she could always count on Toph to make things interesting.


End file.
